Marin transit budget includes bus service improvements

Brightening fiscal news will be reviewed Monday by Marin transit officials as they consider a $26.2 million operations budget for next fiscal year, up slightly from this year's $23.9 million.

The budget includes funding for a series of program realignments and improvements, including a bus route change that has sparked protests in Strawberry.

An additional $10 million capital spending program is up from this year's $4.9 million, and includes a $5 million plan to buy seven 40-foot hybrid fuel buses, a move lauded by Supervisor Kate Sears. Also planned are $2.7 million in bus stop and related improvements, including a downtown Novato hub.

The budget includes new services that expand shuttle connections, linking Sausalito and Mill Valley without changing buses, accommodating downtown Tiburon, serving the new Target store in San Rafael and connecting the College of Marin's Indian Valley Campus with Hamilton Field. Highlights include:

 Novato: Route 51 would be replaced with Route 251 and service would extend to Hamilton Field. Trips to San Marin and Novato high schools and San Jose Middle School would be served by new routes 151 and 154. Routes 257 and 259 would be extended from San Rafael into Novato. New night service would link Novato with Northgate mall and downtown San Rafael. Route 259 would add weekend service and replace Route 49K. Dial-a-ride service would serve midday needs on event days at Margaret Todd Senior and Novato Human Needs centers.

 Tiburon: Routes 210 and 219f would replace Route 19 to provide daily, 30-minute service along Tiburon Boulevard from the ferry terminal to Strawberry. Route 219f would provide three morning and three afternoon links to Tiburon ferries and connect with stops in the residential hills.

 Southern Marin: Service between Sausalito and Marin City would be reassigned from Route 22 to Route 17 and extended two hours, allowing a ride from Sausalito to Mill Valley without changing buses.

 San Rafael: Route 23 would be extended east to connect the transit center with the Canal area and the new Target store. Duplicative runs on weekend Route 356 and Saturday Route 29 would be dropped. Route 23 changes would trigger changes in Route 29, which would add coverage of Fairfax Manor.